Senate passes bill to ban sale of online essays

The New York State Senate has passed legislation to specifically ban the sale or purchase of online term papers, which would close a loophole in the existing law.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Senator Tim Kennedy (D-Buffalo), would specifically punish students who use the Internet to obtain these papers for their classes. The existing law does not specify the penalty for purchasing essays online.

The law hasn’t caught up to the technology, Kennedy said.

“It is absolutely cheating at its worst,” Kennedy said. “We want to close that loophole and ensure that it is illegal to cheat in any capacity.”

Under this legislation, violating the law could result in a $1,000 fine.